Single-impulse carrier-despatch apparatus.



Patented Apr. 11, 1916. v

F. D. POWELL.

Mmm/111011 man 1111111.19. 1914.

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FRANK D. POWELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR--TO THE LAMSON GO'IVI- PANY, 0F BOSTON', MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SINGLE-IMPULSE CARRIER-DESPATCH APPARATUS..

To all fui/1.0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK D. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetta have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Single-Impulse Carrier-Despatch Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to despatch apparatus and more particularly to an improvement in the propulsive mechanism of what is known in the art as wire-line carrier apparatus.

It has for one of its objects the provision of an improved means for propelling carriers from a station; said means being exceedingly compact.

A further object has been to render apparatus of this description sightly in appearance and relatively simple in construction. i

These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referredto and the novel arrangements and combinations of means whereby said objects may be attained will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing which forms a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like. parts throughout the several views I have shown preferred embodiments of my invention; but as I am aware of va.- rious changes and modifications herein which may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, I desire to be limited only by the` scope 'of the claims appended hereto. y

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of'a carrier projecting mechanism with a basket carrier in position thereon and ready to be projected. Fig. 2 isa top view of the'apparatus shownin Fig. 1, but drawny to a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a partial section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2; the section being takenl on line III-III of said figure. Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of the station at the other end of the line shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail elevation of a modification of the portion of the apparatus shownin Fig. 1, and Fig.' 6 is a detail of a boltu f Thetrack'l is preferably of taut wire and extends between the sending and receiving Stations; being suitably connected as at 2; to

Specification of Letters Patent.

4ribbed as shown in Fig. 2 and Patented Apr. 11, 1916;

Application led March 19, 1914. Serial No. 825,923.

a pivotally mounted casing or frame 3 which isjin turnconnected by means of a bracket 4: to a bar 5 which is carried by a hanger or hangers 6 or thelike.

Below the vtrack =wire 1 is a guide and safety 'wire 7 `which also extends between stations, in parallelism with the track 1, and'which may be connected to the 'casing 3 as at 2.' The carrier proper, 8, is provided with wheels 9 which ride upon track 1, and in the :present instance said carrier has connected thereto a basket or receptacle 10, the bails of which may, if desired, be clamped as at 12 to suitable lateral,v extensions 13 of the carrier. In order to minimizetheillustratiom the y receptacle 10 has not been shown in Figs.

2 and' .3, but portions of the bails thereof have been indicated in these figures.

The casing 3 ispreferablyy U-shaped and K has pivoted thereto at 14 a U-.shaped lever 15, the looped rear portion of which carries a small pulley 16 therein around which passes the propelling cord 16 which carries the operating handle 17, `This handle is normally drawn upV by the mechanism nowto be described, against the looped'end of the lever 1,5, so that it normally occupies the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. y y

The forward end of the cord 16 extends through a tube 18 the Yinnerend of which is secured in a block 19 which is provided with lugs between which is a slide 2,0 mounted to ride upon the wire 1; the latter preferably extending through a longitudinal aperture in said slide. The slide and its block 19 may be separably connected by a pin 21, and thev slid`e,'itv will be observed, does not extend upwardly or laterally with respect to said'vwire y1 a sufiicient distance to interfere with the movement of one of the wheelsj9 thereover. i f

The forward end of the cord '16 is suitably connected to-a movable plugor plunger 22 against which bears` a flight' coil spring 23 the inner end of'which is seated against the bottom` of the recess in block 19 which receives the tube V1S. p The handle 17 `limits the outward move'- ment of the plunger 22, and the outer end of said tube 1S is rigidly connectedto a pulley vblock 25. This latter isy also provided with lugs between which is mounted a slide 26, which may be substantially identical to the slide 20, and is connected to the pulley block 25 by a pin 21 in like fashion. The forward end of block 25 has journaled therein a pulley 27 about which passes a flexible connection or propelling cord 28; one end 28 of said cord also being fastened directly to said block 25. Passing forwardly fro-m this end 28, cord 28 extends around a pulley 29 which is journaled in a fixedly mounted frame 30; said cord thence extending backwardly `around pulley 27 and then forwardly around a pulley 31, and back to the follower or pusher 32 to which this end of cord 28 is lirmly attached.

Follower 32 is provided with depending guide lugs 32 which are adapted for lateral engagement with the wire 7, above which the follower rides, and a wire loop 33 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the follower so as to engage the wire 1 and support said follower in part at least therefrom.

The pulley frame 30 has attached thereto by pins 26', members 344-34, each of which may be substantially identical to the slides 20 and 26, but which, since frame 30 is fixed, do not slide upon the wires 1 and 7 with which they are respectively in engagement. Frame 30 would, however, be free to slide upon wires 1 and 7 were it not for the provision of rods 35-35, the rear ends' of which are in engagement with the casing 3; the forward extremities of said rods being connected to frame 30, as shown in Fig. 3. These rods also perform an additional function in that they serve as brakerods to check the carrier as it arrives at the station. The friction blocks 36 with which carriers of this description are usually provided, wipe upon the under sides of rods 35-35, which rods are also somewhat resilient.

A rod 37 projects through a lug upon the under side of the casing 3 and carries a latch supporting frame 38; this frame being yieldingly but definitely positioned with respect to the casing by coiled bumper springs 39 and 40, and being slidably connected to wire 7 at 38'; the lugs 32 of the follower being adapted to clear this connection.

.Pivoted to the frame 38 at 41 is a latch 42, the forward extremity of which is adapted to engage an interior lug 43 in the lower corner of the carrier fra-me, and the outer extremity or arm of which is slotted as at 42 to receive a link 44 which extends down from the forward end of the lever 15.

The operation of the above mechanism is as follows: Assuming that a carrier is at the station from which it is to be projected, with latch 42 in engagement with the lug 43, the follower 32 will at such time have been driven inwardly toward the station by said carrier as it had previously moved into locking engagement with the latch. This movementof the follower 32 had, of course, forwardly displaced the pulley block 25 and the operative parts connected thereto, compressing the light spring 23 which had previously drawn the handle up into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3. When this handle is pulled abruptly downwardly the cord 16 will bear against the pulley 16 and will thereby rotate lever 15 counterclockwise, lifting the rear arm of the latch through the intermediacy of the link 44 and thereby releasing the carrier from said latch. The continued downward pull upon handle 17 causes plunger 22 to bear against the conipressed spring 23 and thereby to start the block 19 with its attached tube 23 and pulley block 25, rearwardly toward the hanger. This of course causes the follower 32 to move forwardly at about three times the speed at which the handle is pulled downwardly, so that the carrier is started from the station with sufficient momentum to project the same to the station at the opposite end of the line. The follower 32 will then remain in its forward position until it is retracted by the carrier upon its return trip, but as soon as the handle 17 is released, spring 23 will expand and will draw the handle up into the position in which it is shown'in Fig. 3.

I particularly desire to direct attention in the present construction to the arrangement of the pulleys 27, 29 and 30 inL tandem, and it will be further observed that these pulleys and in fact substantially all operative parts attached thereto, other than lever 15, are disposed between the wires 1 and 7 so that the arrangement of parts is thereby rendered exceedingly compact. Further, the carrier, in effect, straddles these operating parts as it moves into its position of rest at the station; the tandem pulleys and their supporting frames and blocks being received directly within Ithe frame of the carrier, as it moves therepast. To the best of my knowledge this compact disposition of parts is broadly new in this art.

The station at the opposite end may be of substantially the type shown in Fig. 1, but owing to the fact that the track rail is frequently inclined slightly to the horizontal, the frame 30 for the pulleys 31 and 29 at this outer station may be clamped fast to the wire 7 as at45; said frame not being directly connected to the friction rods 35, as in the previously described construction, but being spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to afford the requisite greater travel of the pulley block 25, to provide the carrier with sufficient momentum to enable it to travel up grade back to the above described. station from which it was despatched. It is preferable in such a case to connect the rods 35-35 to the wire 7 by a separate ymetal strip or clip 46, as shown in both Figs. t and 5.

In Fig. 5 the construction is practically identical with that shown in Fig. l; this figure, however, relating to a modification of the outer end of the station shown in Fig. 1 to adapt said station to the projection of carriers over long horizontal lines; the frame 30 being herein shown also as spaced away from the friction rods 35 to permit of sufficient travel of the pulley block 25.

The mode of clamping ythe frame 30 to the wire 7 is best shown in Fig. 5; wherein a portion of said wire 7 is pulled up into a recess 47 in the lower edge of the frame 30, by a clamping bolt 48; the head of said bolt being slotted as at 48 to receive the wire 7.

In the claims the term way is to be regarded as a sufficiently comprehensive term to relate to both wire 1, which is the track proper, and to the guide and safety wire 7.

Further, the term tackle has been used to designate the means for multiplying the movement of the actuating cord 16 and I again desire to call attention in this connection to the advantages of so 'mounting this tackle that it extends in substantial parallelism with the track and with its pulleys in tandem, while further so shaping or aperturing the frame of the carrier longitudinally thereof as to adapt it to freely pass over, around or by said tackle. By reason of this disposition of parts, the single,- impulse carrier projecting mechanism is rendered exceedingly compact and all parts thereof are adequately supported, so that no loosely swinging pulley-blocks, or the like, are in evidence, the station is rendered sightly and attractive vin appearance and room is economized to the utmost; all factors of importance in the store service art. The manner of operatively connecting the latch controlling parts to the pull-cord 16, so that a downward pull on said cord exerts a direct and corresponding effort against the latch whereby to release the carrier,`is also regarded as of some importance, as is also the provision of a resilient take-up connection between the tackle and the actuating cord or part 16. Finally the value of the improved connection between thev pulley frame 30 or 30 and the wire or `wires should be pointed out; since by reason of the removable pin connections between the slides or blocks on said wires and said `frames aided in the construction shown in Fig. 5 by the slotted and readily removable bolt 48) one can connect or disconnect frame 30 or frame 30 with or from the track and safety wires with extreme facility and without disturbing these wires; a feature `of importance in assembling or in disassembling the parts for repairs. y

the frame thereof recessed for the receptionv of said movement multiplying meansas the carrier approaches the station from which it is adapted to be projected by said first mentioned means.

2. Vire-line carrier apparatus having a way extending between two stations, said way comprising two parallel taut wires, a

vcarrier to travel along said wires, and means to project said carrier along` said way from one of said stations to the other, said means including., a manually operated cord and means to multiply a carrier propelling' movement of said cord, said movement multiplying means lying between said wires, said carrier having the frame thereof recessed for the reception of said movement multiplying means as the carrier approaches the station from which it is adapted to be projected by said first mentioned means.

3. vWire-line carrier lapparatus having a lway extending between two stations, said way` comprising two parallel taut wires, a carrier to travel along said wires, and means to project said carrier along said way from one of said stations to the other, said means including a manually operated cord and means to multiply al carrier propelling movement of said cord, said `movement multiplying means lying between saidy wires, said carrier being adapted to pass by said move-- ment multiplying means as it recedes from the station from which it is projected.

4l. Wire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier to travel along said track, movement multiplying tackle for projecting said carrierfrom one of said stations toward the other along said track, said tackle comprising a plurality of pulleys in tandem, adjacent said track `and below` the level of the same, said pulleys having a flexible element looped therearound,straight portions of said element, between pulleys, extending insubstantial parallelism with said track and substantially in the same vertical plane therewith, and said carrier being adapted to pass by said pulleys which are in tandem, as it recedes from the station from which it is projected. y

5. Wire-linecarrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier to travel along said track, movement multiplying tackle for projecting said carrier from one of said stations toward the other along said track, said tackle comprising a plurality of pulleys in tandem in substantially the same vertical plane with and adjacent said track and below the level of the same, said pulleys having a flexible element looped therearound, straight portions of said element, between pulleys, extending in substantial parallelism with said track and directly below the same, said carrier being adapted to pass by said pulleys as it recedes from the station from which it is projected and manually operated means for actuating` said tackle comprising a pull-cord and a pulley around which said pull-cord passes.

6. Vire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier to travel along said track, movement multiplying tackle for projecting said carrier from one of said stations toward the other along said track, said tackle comprising a plurality of pulleys in tandem, adjacent said track and below the' level of the same, said pulleys having a iexible element looped therearound and a carrier engaging follower at one end of said element, straight portions of said element, between pulleys, extending in substantial parallelism with said track, said carrier being adapted to pass directly by said pulleys as it recedes from the station from which it is projected, and means for actuating said tackle.

7. Wire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier to travel along said track, a manually controlled actuating part, and tackle, to more than double a movement of said part, comprising a plurality of pulleys in tandem disposed below said track substantially Vin the verticall plane passing through said track and a iiexible element passing around said pulleys, said flexible element having straight portions leys disposed in substantial parallelism with said track.

8. VVire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier, a manually cont-rolled actuating part, tackle immediately below the track to multiply a movement of said actuating part to project said carrier from one of said stations toward the other, said carrier having wheels to travel on said track, a receptacle 'hanging below said track and a frame to which said receptacle is connected, said frame being shaped to pass by said tackle as the wheels pass over the latter and said receptacle passes thereunder.

9. `Wireline carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier, a manually controlled actuating part, tackle immediately below the track to multi.T

thereof between said pulply a movement of said actuatingpart to project said carrier from one of said stations toward the other, said carrier having wheels to travel on said track, a receptacle hanging below said track and a frame to which said receptacle is connected, said trame being apertured to receive at least parts of said tackle including two ot the pulleys thereof, as its wheels pass by said pulleys and its receptacle passes thereunder.

10. wWire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier with the frame thereof formed with a recess the longitudinal axis of which extends in a direction parallel to said track, said recess extending through from end to end of said carrier frame, an actuating part, and tackle, including a movable pulley-block directly in the path of said longitudinal axis, to multiply a movement of said part to project said carrier from one of said stations toward the other, the recess in the carrier frame receiving said pulley blcck as the carrier passes the latter and permitting the carrier to clear said block.

l1. Tire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier, a manually controlled actuating part, tackle substantially all of which is immediately below the track to multiply a movement of said actuating part to project said carrier from one of said stations toward the other, said carrier having wheels to travel on said track, a receptacle hanging below said track, a frame to which said receptacle is connected, said frame being shaped to pass by said tackle as the wheels pass over the latter and said receptacle passes thereunder, and a latch to hold said carrier against inadvertent movement away from the station, said latch being directly controlled by said actuating part to release said carrier when said tackle is moved to despatch the carrier.

l2. VVire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations. a carrier having wheels and a receptacle suspended theiebelow, an actuating part, tackle to multiplya movement of said part to despatch said carrier 'from one of said stations toward the other along said track, said tackle extending in substantial parallelism with said track, and a resilient connection between said actuating part and tackle, said carrier being apertured to receive said resilient connection below its wheels and alcovev said receptacle.

, 13. Wire -line apparatus comprising a track extending between two stations, a carrier, resiliently mounted means to latch said carrier at one of said stations, latch releasing means, and single-impulse means to project said carrier from said station, said single-impulse means including a pull-cord which passes around a movable part oi said latch-releasing means to actuate the latter when said pull-cord is placed under tension to despatch said carrier.

14C. Wire-line carrier apparatus having a track extending between two stations, a carrier, an actuating part', tackle to multiply a movement of said part, a resilient connection between said tackle and actuating part, a follower actuated by said tackle to despatch said carrier from one of' said stations toward the other, said resilient connection and follower being suspended from said track and said follower being adapted to pass a portion at least of said connection when said carrier is being projected.

l5. Wire-line carrier apparatus having a way extending between two stations, said way comprising two parallel taut wires, a pulley frame between said wires, disconnectible means to connect said frame to said wires, a carrier to travel along said way, and means to co-act with said pulley frame to propel said carrier along said way past Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the said frame, said disconnectible means including a slide mounted on said wire and means to lock said slide to said frame.

16. track extending between two stations, a carrier, an actuatingfelement, tackle to multiply a movement of said element, said tackle having its movement multiplying part disposed out along the line of and below said track and between said stations, a follower actuated by said tackle to despatch said carrier from one of said stations toward the other, said follower being suspended from said track and riding thereupon over said movement multiplying part of said tackle when the carrier is being projected.

In testimony whereof I have aiXed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

F. I?. IRISH, I-I. E. MORRILL.

Commissioner of Patents,

washington, n. e.

Wire-line carrier apparatus having a 

